Means to cause vibration of ring rail of spinning frame



J. W. STUART May 31, 1966 MEANS TO CAUSE VIBRATION OF RING RAIL OFSPINNING FRAME Filed Feb. 7, 1964 EEEEIE I EEE P h INVENTOR JAMES W.STUART A TTOR NE Y United States Patent 3,253,398 MEANS T0 CAUSEVIBRATION 0F RING RAIL 0F SPINNING FRAME James W. Stuart, P.0. Box 600,Greer, S.C. Filed Feb. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 343,249 6 Claims. (Cl. 57-137)This invention relates to spinning frames and more particularly tospinning frames of the movable ring rail type and to means for causingthe ring rail to vibrate during the operation of the spinning frame.

It is a known fact that limitations on the speed of operation of aspinning frame are due in part to the friction between the ringtravelers and the rings mounted on the ring rail. If the speed isexcessive, the friction on the traveler increases to a point-where thetraveler may actually burn or disintegrate. Any means to effectivelyincrease the speed of operation of the traveler and the spinning machineas a whole will necessarily result in a higher production of yarn witheconomy, which is the basic object of the invention.

A further advantage of the invention and a further economy incident tothe invention resides in increasing the life of the traveler by theelimination of the friction wear thereon or greatly reducing thisfriction.

According to the invention, simplified means is employed to producerelatively high speed vibration of the entire ring rail, both verticallyand horizontally during the operation of the frame. The ring rail isresiliently mounted on its lifting rods to enhance this vibration. Ineffect, the ring travelers are caused to quiver, vibrate or dance asthey pass around the rings, thus reducing to a minimum the frictionbetween the rings and travelers without adversely-effecting theoperation of spinning the yarn and building bobbins in an otherwisenormal manner.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent duringthe course of the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and inwhich like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame,

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary partly diagrammatic front elevational view ofa spinning frame having the invention applied thereto,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged central vertical section through the ring railvibrating means and showing the same attached to one end portion of thering rail, and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section through the ringrail and one lifter rod thereof and showing one of the resilient ringrail cushioning elements to facilitate vibration.

In the drawings, wherein there is shown one simplified embodiment of theinvention, attention is directed to FIGURE 1 illustrating pertinentportions of a conventional spinning frame of the movable ring rail type.In this figure, the numeral designates the usual fixed spindle rail,upon which the several vertical spindles 11 are journaled for rotation.Bobbins 12 are mounted upon the spindles 11 to turn therewith so thatyarn can be guided thereto by the vertically movable ring rail 13carrying the usual rings 14 and traveler elements 15.

The ring rail 13 is supported at plural points along its length bylifter rods 16 which are biased upwardly by the usual counterweightedlifter mechanisms or arms 17, all conventional in the art. The ring rail13 is drawn downwardly during its traversing of the bobbins by aflexible element 18 attached at one end to a quadrant 19 on the liftermechanism and also trained over a pulley 20 near one end of the spindlerail, where the element 18 is directed to the usual builder motion, notshown. This construction and its mode of operation is well known in theart and need not be further dealt with herein.

The invention proper, as stated, is a means to impart vibration to thering rail 13 and travelers 15 during the normal opera-tion of thespinning frame. Such means in the embodiment illustrated comprises arelatively small housing 21, rigidly secured at 22 to the ring rail 13near one end thereof. The housing 21 has an internal annular passage orrace 23 disposed in a vertical plane with a generally tangentialcompressed air inlet port 24 leading into the passage 23 near the topthereof and a smaller exhaust port 25 leading from the passage 23 nearthe bottom thereof. The housing 21 is adapted to have a compressed airhose 26 or the like connected with the inlet port 24, as shown in FIGURE1, and the hose 26 leads to a suitable source of compressed air, notshown. A steel ball 27 or the like is contained loosely within theannular passage 23 and is adapted under the influence of compressed airadmitted through the port 24 to travel rapidly and continuously throughthe annular passage 23. This movement of the ball 27 imparts effectivelyto the entire ring rail 13 relatively high speed vibration oroscillation in the vertical as well as the horizontal direction duringthe operation of the spinning frame. As the ball 27 travels through theannular passage 23 at high speed, it generates powerful vibrations inall directions continuously.

In conjunction with the ring rail vibrating means abovedescribed, thering rail 13 is resiliently cushioned at all of its points of attachmentto the lifter rod 16 by means of rubber-like cushioning pads 28interposed between the tops of the rods 16 and the lower surface of thering rail and secured thereto at 29, as shown in FIGURE 3.

When the spinning frame is in operation forbuilding the bobbins withyarn, compressed air is continuously supplied at 24 to the annularpassage 23, and the ball element 27 continuously travels within thepassage 23 and imparts vibration vertically and horizontally to theentire ring rail which floats to a degree on the pads 28. This vibrationof the ring rail is transmitted to the travelers 15 which in turn quiveror vibrate as they move rapidly around the rings 14. The vibration ofthe travelers reduces their frictional contact with the rings to aminimum and, in effect, causes the travelers to float to a great extentout of contact with the rings during their movement or to have onlyoccasional or limited direct engagement with the rings. This materiallyreduces the friction between the travelers and rings and makes possiblea much higher speed of operation of the travelers and bobbins and theentire spinning frame, resulting in a higher production of yarn.

The invention is very simple, economical and does not require anymaterial altering of the conventional ring rail or spinning framestructure and no change in the usual operation of the frame. Theinvention may be applied with facility to existing spinning frames or tonew frames at the time of manufacturing thereof. It is thought that theadvantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art without the necessity for any further description.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and thatvarious changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may beresorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scopeof the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a spinning frame, a movable ring rail to traverse bobbins duringthe building of the bobbins with yarn, and means bodily mounted on thering rail to impart vibration thereto bodily during the operation of thespinning frame.

2. In a spinning frame, a movable ring rail, a plurality of rings onsaid ring rail, travelers on said rings f to move around the same, andmeans bodily mounted on the ring rail to vibrate the ring rail duringoperation of the spinning frame, such vibration being transmitted to therings and travelers, whereby the frictional engagement between the ringsand travelers is greatly reduced.

3. In a spinning frame, a movable ring rail, lifter rods carrying saidring rail, resilient cushioning means interposed between the ring railand lifter rods at the points of attachment of the rail to the rods, andmeans on the ring rail operable during the movement of the ring rail toimpart vibration to the ring rail in a horizontal and also in a verticaldirection.

4. In a spinning frame, a movable ring rail, resilient means carryingthe ring rail and cushioning the same, rings and travelers mounted uponthe ring rail, and a vibration unit mounted upon the ring rail to impartvibration thereto and to said travelers during'the normal operation ofthe spinning frame.

5. The invention as defined by claim 4, and wherein said resilient meansincludes rubber-like pads interposed between the ring rail and ring raillifter rods and secured thereto.

6. The invention as defined by claim 4, and wherein said vibration unitcomprises a housing secured to one end portion of the ring rail andhaving an annular chamber in a substantially vertical plane and fluidinlet and outlet ports leading to and from said chamber, and a vibrationelement arranged loosely within said chamber and adapted to be movedthrough the chamber at high speed under the influence of fluid passingto the chamber from said inlet port.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,758,439 8/1956Bradshaw 57136 FOREIGN PATENTS 435,369 9/1935 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. JOHN PETMKES, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A SPINNING FRAME, A MOVABLE RING RAIL TO TRAVERSE BOBBINS DURINGTHE BUILDING OF THE BOBBINS WITH YARN, AND MEANS BODILY MOUNTED ON THERING RAIL TO IMPART VIBRATION THERETO BODILY DURING THE OPERATION OF THESPINNING FRAME.